The rest of 2011 - between marathons

[marathondan]

One of the many joys of supporting at mile 13/ 22 on the VLM is seeing the wheelchair athletes fly by. They are every bit as impressive as their upright counterparts and they receive the biggest crowd cheers of the day.

I'd have been struggling to keep up with 'em on a bike.

No, scratch that - I wouldn't have been able to keep up. No question.

[marathondan]

Enjoyed a couple of barefoot 1 mile runs last week. Hard on the calves and Achilles but I can feel it doing me good. I can see, as advised by all those who know, that this however needs to be a very gradual buildup, and not something that can be taken on in a big way at the start of a marathon training programme.

So, with a marathon 5 months away, I need to build some mileage. I'm convinced that my recent ankle trouble has been exacerbated if not caused by plodding the same circular route on concrete in heavily cushioned shoes. So I want to get off the concrete and to a lesser extent get out of the cushioned shoes.

My best option for offroad running is a patch of (flat) heathland fairly close to home, which is about 1.5 miles around. Three reasons for running here: 1. reduced impact on the joints; 2. variable surface for ankle strengthening; 3. soft enough that I can try a short run in flats maybe once a week to try and gradually reduce my heel-cushioning dependency. (I found an old pair of imitation Converse in the back of the cupboard which will serve the purpose well.)

I feel that I won't get too many arguments against these goals around here.

But I do almost all of my running after dark, and I have never run offroad in the dark before, and to be honest I'm a bit of a wuss when it comes to pitch blackness. So last night I borrowed a head torch and went for a lap around the green.

And it was fine. Really you're never out of sight of the lights of cars or houses (including one particularly fine one with a well-lit conservatory that wouldn't shame Kew Gardens) or indeed the general atmospheric glow of South-East England. It's no remote fell or moorland, that's for sure. It was a nice night, cool and still with fine drizzle playing in the LED beam. And having walked up on the pavement, I finally appreciated that phrase well-loved of a certain nearby diary, "yielding turf".

So for the time being, it looks like the offroad, organic, no artificial additives, VLM 2012 training plan is on. Very gentle outings for the rest of the month to rehabilitate the ankle. Build to a modest 15 miles a week through December. Hit the plan at Christmas.

[Sweder]

I think your plan to mix it up gradually works very well for a road race. My training is far too weighted - occasional ParkRun aside it's 100% - in favour of the 'yielding turf', great for all the reasons you mention but hopeless when it comes to bashing out 26.2 hard road miles.

There's no escaping what needs to be done. Just as you dip your toe into the soft loveliness of damp grass so I must hammer mine into concrete and asphalt. My baptism will be equally cautious, yet if I am to give my all in Brighton I surely must embrace the road.

And so our worlds spin, ever closer, towards alignment.
Good luck fellow adventurer!

[marathondan]

I'm not so sure that a lot of hardtop-conditioning is necessary for a habitual grass-dweller such as yourself.

Running on grass requires a bit more effort than pavement (I think) because of the uneven surface, so you'll be better conditioned. The softer impact means that you'll recover better from your runs and can put more effort into your sessions. Your ankles will definitely be stronger than those of a tarmac-hound.

The downside of course is that your hips and knees won't be used to the jarring impact. But I wonder how much of a problem that would be over a 4 hour race? (or less in the case of P2P.) Would it really impact your performance on the day, compared with the advantages?

What has your experience been in previous road races?

[Sweder]

What has your experience been in previous road races?

Sound observation I'm sure. I have no scientific evidence to suggest hard top running will help, it's just a feeling I get. Racehorses are walked on the roads around here as part of their 'conditioning'. I'm more of a carthorse in the running stakes and yet there seems som reason to this.

My legs are always mullered after a road race. Knees, hips, back ... far more so that on offroad races. Steyning Stinger and Seaford Half do much less damage than the equivalent distances in London or Almeria. I won't be adding a vast amount of paved running to my agenda, just enough to get the taste and prepare my body for the damage to come. In fairness its unlikely I suffer enough during a marathon to affect my performance. The aftermath, however, is brutal.

Just back from a cheeky hillside five miler in my FiveFingers offroaders. Conditions were perfect; slippery, damp, cool yet partly sunny. More on this over at mine in a bit. Well, I didn't mean I'd start road running right away ...

[marathondan]

Pleased to report that things are ticking along here OK. Currently keeping up with three short runs a week around the green, covering about 10 miles a week. I'm (relatively) enjoying the night-time runs with the head torch. I've had a range of conditions, from a beautiful moonlit night when I could see better with the torch off, to a pea-souper when I had to turn back and revert to my pavement route for fear of colliding with trees. Not sure how much I'll enjoy it when I'm spending 3 hours running round this damn field, but one step at a time. The ankle is mildly twingy, but crucially it always loosens up nicely when I'm running. Another week at this level and then I'll build things up a little more.

Here's the low impact circuit on my new (and, I'm pleased to say, my wife's new) fave mapping tool. It doesn't look that picturesque at 10pm in November though.

[glaconman]

Looks perfect Dan. I suppose you need to adapt a slightly different mindset when running around a smaller area. Abit like a track athlete. Or a buddhist monk.

Actually, with all the different paths within the Green it would also make a good alternative to interval training on a track. You could approximate 400s, 600s, 800s etc with specific sub-circuits. These are really good sessions for improving your fitness, as I found-out this summer on our newly-laid local track. And particularly for somebody with an eye for meticulous execution. It's important for the sessions to be run evenly and at target pace. In other words, they suite people who can stick to a plan.

[Sweder]

In other words, they suite people who can stick to a plan.

An excellent point not lost on me after my albeit entertaining failure on the P2P. I'm ready to abandon my anarchic approach to running and to start laying down some decent foundations for Brighton. I could do a lot worse than check in here more often I reckon.

[marathondan]

Yes I normally just use fartlek for intervals but something more structured might help. The only trouble is, I don't think I could find all those paths in the dark.

Last summer I did hill intervals for the first time and I think they really helped. But I need to find a decent off-road hill that's navigable by torchlight. Not a problem for you hardcore downland / fell specialists I know, but I need to ease into this wilderness running slowly.

I also tried full barefoot running for half a mile or so, in the dark. It was great in terms of getting in touch with nature - I wonder, is that a leaf between my toes, or a dog turd? - but the lower leg tendons take several days to recover so I think right now it would cause more problems. Something for next summer.

Sweder, you have a place for Brighton marathon? Excellent. As you probably know, my plan is super simple: one long slow, one tempo approx half the length of the long, one fartlek approx a third of the length of the long. Step back the long every third week. Build up the long from 6 miles to 20 over about 4 months. It seems to cover most of the bases. It's good to be able to tick the sessions off and look back over progress. I expect you cover most of this already, just with a little less structure (and more aplomb...).

In other news, I bagged a triathlon wetsuit for £16 on eBay (it seems XL isn't a popular size). So I now have all the gear for a multisport attempt next summer:

- cheap wetsuit - check
- 30 year old bike with half the gears missing - check
- swimming and cycling techniques - er, hold on a minute...
- foolhardy attitude and willingness to look ridiculous in public - ah yes, we're back on track

Sounds like (yet another) plan then.

[glaconman]

Bit harsh on yourself Sweder. I've got the P2P down as a roaring success on all counts. I doubt many could put that performance in given your commitments.

Chasing times and chasing experiences are two different things though aren't they?

If you want to aim for a decent time at Brighton then, yes, consistency is the key. Think of a 3D printer putting down layer after layer. Gradual, unbroken improvement. 3 steps forward, 1 step back. 3 steps forward, 1 step back.

When it comes to intervals there's a tendency to a) run the session faster than you planned and b) run the first half faster then the second. The key is to plan appropriately then stick to the plan. And it's harder than you think.

Anyway after a nasty calf injury I've only got flat, slow running to look forward to for the next few weeks. Better than nothing though, i can tell you.

[Sweder]

P2P was certainly successful in terms of scaling the damned thing before lights out. I was just upset to lose my legs before the end.

Thanks both for your wisdom on marathon training. I haven't run a 'normal' (City) marathon since Paris in 2006. I'll set out a schedule starting in January, paying close attention to step-back weekends, something I used to do 'back in the day'. Until then I'll keep up my random hill running with occasional Barefoot sessions. Something like;

Monday: recovery (5 to 8 kms offroad, easy)
Tuesday: flat road session (Brighton has a lot of that)
Thursday: tough 8k hill run (natural hill fartlek, some Barefoot)
Saturday: 5k paved, fast (ParkRun)
Sunday: long slow offroad starting at 8 miles (undulating)

Hell, I might even start a spreadsheet.

Dan, do try to plod on with the barefoot if you can. I know it feels odd and you do get some weird after effects but so long as you start slow and build gradually those will pass. Mind you barefoot + headtorch sessions is a risk too far early in your campaign, so perhaps it should wait for lighter evenings. Perhaps short BF sessions on a treadmill, just to figure out the posture? I may do that in Dubai next week when I doubt I'll see much runing action otherwise.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Hell, I might even start a spreadsheet.

Raucous laughter ensues.

IBIWISI (I'll Believe It When I See It)

[marathondan]

Looks like a great plan, Sweder. Ticking off the sessions is a real motivator, even if it's just a list pinned to the fridge (Guiness repository) door. I think intervals of some kind are the key to building strength and speed, but your undulating hills should give you that.

Out for another short loop tonight, I took Sweder's advice and did the last 300m or so barefoot, just picking up my shoes and socks and jogging on with them in hand. I'm not too concerned about barefoot in the dark, the terrain is pretty stone-free. Startled a couple of rabbits; I think chasing them across the open field would make a good interval session. Waiting to see if I spot any other wildlife.

[marathondan]

Looks like a great plan, Sweder.

Also dude - less is more.